Protected check



April 13 1926.

C. H. WRIGHT- PROTECTED CHECK Filed Sept. 9, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet Z onDl-:n oF

Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

unirse STATES CHARLES H. WRIGHT, orv BROOKLTNE, aressnonusnTTs.

PROTECTED CHECK.

Application inea september e, 1924. seran No. reef/'21.

appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to bank checks, travelers checks, letters of credit, stock certificates cash fare recel ts and simf' ilar instruments, and is more particularly intended to limit the amount payable on such instruments.

Various methods have been devised to prevent altering or raising the amount payable on a bank check. The best known met-hods in actual practice-consist in printing or engraving the instrument upon a specially treated paper, which visibly indicates erasure or alteration of writing or printing, and actually embossing the check paper with the amount to be paid through the employment. of a special stamping or embossing` machine. Although one or both of these methods are quite generally employed in connection with written instruments of this character, more particularly bank checks, nevertheless it is possible for one sk-illed in the art' to successfully vary or alter the check without detection. Furthermore the second of the two methods above-described requires a special machine which must be adjusted Aand used in connection with the protection of each instrument. Another method heretofore attempted but not sogenerally used is to provide a. protective margin for the check forming an integral part thereof and having limiting amounts writ-ten or printed thereon, which are arranged in a manner to indicate desired limits when the check is separated from the stub. This form of protection is generally unsatisfactory, however, due to the fact that with any of the suggested arrangements of limiting amounts the space required for the protective margin andthe spread between the limiting amounts are both so great as to render the method impractical. Furthermore the time and skill required to properly tear off certain of these protective margins makes them impractical for use in cases terial variation in size of the checks andl the irregularity of outline due to these protective margins also militates against their use, vas it interferes wth the handling of the checks in the bank.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of check or similar instrument having a protective margin which: occupies a minimum of space, which may be readily torn off, and which limitst'he the check closely to the amount writ-tenY or printed in the body. y

With vthis and other objects in view, the various features of the invention consist in certain novel features of' construction, cornbination's and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, V.the advantages oi" which will be obvious to those skilled inthe art from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form' of the invention, Fie'. l represents the face of a bank check having the improved form of protective margin. interposed between the check and the stub; Fig. 2 isa view similar to: Fig. 1 illustrating the check filled in and separatedl from the stub along the proper line of tear-ott vto limit the check at the margin; Figs.` and i illustrate a slightly modilied form of protective margin embodyingk the improved features of theformof margin illustratedin Figs. Il andi 2, Fig?, showing the check beforel detachment and Fig. et' showing the check after being lled in .and separated froml the stub and Fig. 5 is a plan view on a reduced scale of a conventional paper cutter employed for severing the check from the stub.

The preferred form ofthe invention is illustrated in connection with a bank check lof conventional form. In this embodiment of the invention, the body of the check is indicated generally at l() and is provided with the name of the bank on which it is drawn, the date, and spaces for the payee and the amount for which the check is issued.v In addition, the face of the check is vprovided with a clause indicating that the amount. written in the body of the check shall not exceed the largest amount printed in the marginal guard. Interposed between the body of the check and the usual stub fmY ment oit .the invention, the limiting amounts are arranged in a series ot' units or blocks corresponding to tens, hundreds and thou-` sands, respectively. Each oi' these units or blocks includes numerals from 10 to 90 or from 1 to 9 in arithmetical progression to protect amounts ranging from $10 to $9,990.

The arrangement of successive units of thel individual amountsin each block and the blocks themselves is such ythat the body of the Vcheck may be readily detached lfromv the stub on the desired line of tear-oft with little or no diiliculty. rThis is accomplished by arranging each series of numbers constituting a single unit diagonally with respectl to the marginal guard, the sums being printed either as numbers or as words corresponding to such numbers. The separate blocks or units are arranged vertically or parallel to the margin oli the check, providing a comparatively narrow guard ot uniform Width from end to end. ln the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the separate units, that is blocks of numerals indicatingftens, hundreds and thousands, are enclosed in parallelograms superimposed one above the other and having the adjacent marginal edges in alignment to facilitate tear-olf. `The background of the guard surrounding the blocks is tinted in a characteristic manner to emphasize and set oil' the units. The shape of the blocks and their location with respect to one another is such that any desired amount may be indicated on the marginal guard with a zigzag line consisting of a series ot straight lines of varyinglength joined by a series of predetermined obtuse langles. As indicated clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, a check for $7,640 is protected byY severing the check between the numerals 7 and 8 on the thousand block, between the numerals 6 and 7 on the block of hundreds, and between the numerals i0 and 50 on the block of tens. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that this form of marginal guard imparts a substantially predetermined and regular contour to the marginal edge of the check, irrespective ol' the amount to be protected. The tear-oft' o'l' the marginal guard may be accomplished through the useot' al metal cutter having two straight cutting edges disposed at an angle corresponding to the angularity ot' theA blocks or units, the successive positioning of the cutter at proper points with relation to the blocks permitting the check to be detached on a zigzag line. As shown in the drawings, the block of tens is indicated at 20,'the block of hundreds at 22 superimposed thereabove, and the block oit thousands at 2l. The designation ot the individual blocks is conveniently shown at the bottom of. each block, that is the lowermost block 20 is provided with-the' designation dollars as indicated at 26, the middle block `with the designation hundred as indicated at 28, and the uppermost block with the designation thousand7 as indicatedat 30. In order to further protect against alteration, the words corresponding to different numerals in cases where they do not occupy the entire width oi the block are flanked by stars 32 or other suitable characters, which tend to prevent erasure of a word and substitution of a word designating a higher numeral.

lt will be evident from the 'foregoing that the essential feature of the present invention relates to a plurality of series oit numerals or werds designating numerals, each series Consisting orp numerals or .words corresponding thereto kaligned diagonally with respect to the marginal guard and .written or printed on parallel lines extending diagonally to the guard and to the alignment of the numerals,

allot the numerals being written on parallel lines and each series being oliiset with respect to the next adjacent series. t will be furthermore obvious that although the illustrated embodiment ot the invention indicates a marginal guard provided with three units of numerals, the invention contemplates' the e` iployment of either more or less units as desired, although it is believed that the arrangement shown in the drawings covers the vast majority ot checks and similar instruments. s

In the form of marginal guard shown in Figs. 3 and el., theseries of units or blocks indicated generally at l0 are inclined in a direction opposite to that .shownl in Figs. 1 and 2 and the individual numerals in each bloclt read from top tobottom rather than from the bottom upwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. 1n this term of guard, the tear-ell is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, although the inclination of the numerals and the location ot the individual blocks offer certain definite advantages in connection with the tear-ott. In removing the check from the stub, a cutter 50, such as shown in Fig. 5, having an obtuse angle corresponding to the angle between the sides and top and bottom Yof the blocks is employed. One edge of the cutter is aligned with the side'ot the block and the cooperating edge is located between the numerals along the desired line of tear-od. Starting at the top ot the check shown in F ig. 3, one edge of the cutter is placed in alignment with the lett hand margin of the thousand block and the cooperating edge extends on a line below the rvimmoral 7. The length of this edge corresponds to the width of the block. Upon completion of the ear-olr' through the thousand block, the cutter is next positioned with one edge in alignment With the leit hand margin of the hundred block and the cooperatingedge vbeneath the numeral G, the tear-ott being completed 'through the Width oit' the hundred block.

This operation then repeated through the block ot tens, completing the tear-oil ci the check.4 y proceeding in this manner, the check may he readily detached along the desired line ot tear-oill and there is no liai` bility of destroying the marginal guard, due to the fact that all of the blocks except that being removed are completely exposed to the vieu? ot the operator.

lt will be evident to those skilled in the art that if the body of the check, cash receipt, or similar instrument is Written in an even amount, one or more entire blocks or units may be entirely detached trom the marginal guard, leaving a lportion ot one only of the units connected with the instru ment. An important advantage inherent in the presentmethod ot protecting checks is due to the fact that the largest amount is indicated not only upon the marginal guard ot the check but also upon the stub from which the check has been detached. The stub indicates instantly the amounts for Which checks have been drawn and prevents any substantial error in checking the amounts.

It will be further evident to those skilled in the art that although the illustrated embodiment of the present invention indicates a protective guard Written in dollars and tractions thereof, nevertheless the present invention may be equally Well embodied for protecting checks or similar instruments Written in other currencies.

The term numeral has been adopted throughout the claims to designate the series of ordinate numerals Whether printed as numbers or as Words corresponding to numbers and wherever such a term is used throughout the claims it is to be understood that it covers the numerals printed or Written in any one of several characteristic forms. f

1. A form `tor checks or like instruments having a marginal guard provided with a plurality of Cets ot ordinate numerals arranged on diagonal parallel lines, the marginal alignment ot each set of numerals being parallel with the adjacent set and inclined to the margin of the instrument to cause the guard to be separated upon a series ot' diagonal lines. f

2. A form for checks or like instruments having a marginal guard provided with a series of ordinate numerals arranged on parallel diagonal lines, the marginal alignment ot' each set of numeralsbeing inclined to the margin ofthe instrument and making an obtuse angle with the lines ont numerals whereby the guard is `detachedalong'afseries having a comparatively narrow marginal guard containing' a plurality of blocks 'ot ordinatenumerals Varranged in parallel diagonal lines, the lett hand margin ot each block ot numerals being inclined tothe margin of the guard and making an obtuse angle With the alignment ot the numerals.

4. A torni for checks or like instruments having a marginal guardprovided With a series ot sets ot ordinate numerals, each set forming substantially a parall-elogram inclined to the margin, the several setsy being arranged lengthwise ot the margin and substantially contacting With one another in a manner to permit the guard to be detached throughout its length by a zigzag lin-e passing through all Aof the sets `of numerals.

5. A form tor checks` or like instruments having amarginal guard of uniform Width throughout its length provided with a plurality of sets of ordinate numerals extending throughout the length of the guard and' written on parallel lines inclined to the margin of the guard, the marginal alignment of each set of numerals making an obtuse angle with the lines of numerals.

6. A form for checks or like instruments having a marginalguard of uniform Width provided with a series or" parallelograms each containing a set ot ordinate numerals, the numerals being Written on lines inclined to the guard, and the margins of each parallelogram being in alignment with the opposite margins of the next adjacent paralleloe gram whereby the guard may be 'detached on a continuous zigzag line.

7. A form Lto-r checks or like instruments having a marginal guard at the left hand end provided With a series of sets of ordi nate numerals Written on parallel diagonal lines and extending lengthwise ot the guard, the lett hand margin of each set of nuf merals being parallel to the same margin vof the next adjacent set and-making an obtuse angle With the alignment ot' the `numerals.

8. A form for checks or like instruments having a marginal guard of uniform Width, a series of parallelograms located Within the guard and arranged diagonally with respect thereto, the background of the guard being ornament/ed to set off the parallelograms, and a set of ordinate numerals arranged Within each parallelogram, the numei-als being Written on diagonal inclined lines.

9. A 'form for checks or like instruments having marginal guard provided With a seri-es ot sets of ordinate numerals Written on parallel diagonal lines, each set of numerals reading downwardly from l to 9,

and the marginal alignment of each set of numerals making` an obtuse kangle with the lines of the numerals.

l0. A forni for cheeks or like instruments and extending from the bottom of the guard f upwardly, and the numerals being Written .on parallel diagonal lines, making an obtuse 10 'angle with the marginal alignment of the blocks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES H. VIHGHT. 

